Watch time zone indicator



Oct 4, 1966 c. PEACOCK 3,276,201

WATCH TIME ZONE INDICATOR Filed Jan. 2'7, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet l Illi'l/ l NVENTOR.

7/ Z9 28 Dan C. Peacock 6 1/25 24 W.%

17 A Attorney Oct. 4, 1966 D. c. PEACOCK 3,276,201

WATCH TIME ZONE INDICATOR Filed Jan. 27, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 r J 7 Q.- .V \\\\\l|!I//I/ 1 '11 12 1 A I 4 i 57 1 I l n u i 9 I I :8

1 QKRa mWWTT-r INVENTOR. Don C. Peacock Attorney United States Patent The present invention relates to watches and more particularly to devices for simultaneously indicating the time 'in different time zones.

An object of the present invention is to provide a time zone indicator mechanism adaptable to a standard watch which is capable of simultaneously indicating the correct time in two time zones by means of the standard hour hand and an auxiliary hour hand and can also be set to indicate the time in a different time zone by merely manipulating the same winding crown and stem ordinarily used to adjust the hands for the correct time.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a time zone indicator mechanism of the character above which is designed for incorporation in existing watch movements with a minimum required alteration of existing parts at a point in the clockworks which enables convenient factory assembly; and which involves a simple organization of co-functioning parts capable of affording dependable and durable operation throughout a long life expectancy.

The invention possesses other objects and features of advantage, some of which the foregoing will be set forth in the following description of the preferred form of the invention which is illustrated in the drawings accompanying and forming part of this specification. It is to be understood, however, that variations in the showing made by the drawings and description may be adopted within the scope of the invention as set forth in the claims.

Referring to said drawings (two sheets):

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a watch embodying the invention.

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of a watch embodying the invention with the dial face and hands removed.

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of a part of the modified watch mechanism on an enlarged scale.

FIGURE 4 is a side elevation of a portion of the modified watch mechanism taken substantially along the line 4-4 of FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 5 is a cross-section taken substantially along the line 5-5 of FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 6 is a plan view of the modified watch mechanism.

FIGURE 7 is a plan view of the watch mechanism with the cover, face and hands removed.

FIGURE 8 is a plan view of the modified watch.

FIGURE 9 is a plan view of the modified watch with the face, cover and hands removed.

The watch time zone indicator of the present invention is especially designed for use in a watch movement including a rotatable staff 6 and a minute hand 7 connected thereto, a regular hour hand pipe 8 mounted for rotation coaxially of said staff and carrying a regular hour hand 9, and a rotatable stem 11 operatively connected to the hands for selective manual setting thereof and consists briefly of: an auxiliary member 12 mounted coaxially to said staff and releasably connected to the hour hand pipe for rotation therewith and having a time indicating auxiliary hand 13; and means actuated by the stem for selectively effecting angular displacement between the regular and auxiliary hour hands.

A wristwatch of ordinary construction is shown in FIGURES 1 and 4 and consists briefly of a barrel assembly 16 rotatably mounted on a barrel arbor 17 and carrying a gear 18 in engagement with a center pinion 21 in connection with staff 6 and carrying a center wheel 22 in connection with a third pinion 23 mounted on third shaft 24 and carrying a third wheel 26 is engagement with fourth pinion 27 rotatably mounted for rotation on fourth shaft 28 and carrying fourth wheel 29 in connection with an escape wheel not shown. The minute hand 7 is tightly pressed onto the cannon pinion 31 which is frictionally fitted to staff 6, so they revolve together as a unit. The cannon pinion drives the minute wheel 32, and the pinion 33 drives the hour wheel 34. The hour wheel is freely mounted on the cannon pinion to perm1t it to revolve at its own slower rate of speed. The hour wheel is fitted to the hour hand pipe for rotation therewith.

Auxiliary member 12 is carried by and in frictional engagement with the regular hour hand pipe 8 and is mounted coaxially of staff 6. Auxiliary hour hand 13 frictionally mounted on auxiliary member 12 is preferably a thin hand located beneath minute hand 7 and hour hand 9 so that it can be covered by regular hour hand 9 and travel therewith when not indicating a different time zone. Auxiliary hand 13 may also be of different coloring to visually offset it from the regular hour and minute hands.

In order to permit the hour hands to move as a unit for clockwise rotation and yet provide for selective angular displacement between the regular and auxiliary hour hands, auxiliary member 12 is formed with an upstanding pipe 36 having an annular slotted portion 37 formed therein for receiving a harp spring 38 mounted for rotation on auxiliary member 12. Spring ends 39 and 40 frictionally grip regular hour hand pipe for normal rotation therewith.

To prevent more than one complete counterclockwise revolution of the auxiliary member of effect angular displacement between the regular and auxiliary hour hands, auxiliary member 12 is formed with a radially extending flange 45 presenting a camming surface having a vertical face 41 so that a cam stop follower 42 mounted on the frame 43 by a fastener 44 will ride thereon and permit uninterrupted counterclockwise rotation when the cam stop 42 moves into engagement with vertical face 41.

In operation, staff 6 turns minute hand .7 one complete rotation every sixty minutes and hour wheel 34 turns regular hour hand 9 through one complete revolution every twelve hours. Auxiliary member 12 frictionally connected to regular hour pipe 8 by harp spring 38 causes auxiliary hour hand -to rotate one complete revolution every twelve hours in simultaneous movement with the regular hour hand.

In order to change the setting of the regular hour and minute hands 7 and 9 stem 11 is shifted to the right in FIGURE 2, a shoulder 46 formed on stem 11 rotates lever 47 clockwise about pivot point 48, arm 49 mounted on lever 47 engages lever arm 51 which pivots counterclockwise about pivot point 52 which shifts clutch shaft 53 bearing crown gear 54 to the right as indicated by arrow 56 in FIGURE 4 thus engaging minute wheel 32. Rotation of the winding crown 57 rot-ates crown gear 54 thereby rotating minute wheel 32, and cannon pinion 31 hearing minute hand 7. Cannon pinion 31 is frictionally mounted on staff 6 so that when the hands are turned by manual rotation of the winding crown there is relative slipping between the staff 6 and the cannon pinion 31 because of the inertia imposed by the gear train. Auxiliary hand 13 moves simultaneously with hour hand 9 during all clockwise rotation of regular hour hand 9 since auxiliary member 12 is frictionally connected to regular hour hand pipe 8 by means of harp spring 38.

In order to effectuate angular displacement between the regular and auxiliary hour hands winding crown 57 is merely rotated so that auxiliary hour hand, regular hour hand and minute hands are turned in a counterclockwise direction until cam stop follower 42 is moved into engagement with ventical face 41 of the camming surface of auxiliary member 12. It is to be understood that several vertical faces 41 could be formed in auxiliary member 12 but one is suflicient for all practical purposes. Vertical face 41 may be placed at any angular point on auxiliary member 12 but is here shown as coinciding with the hour of 9. Thus to change the angular dis-placement between the two hour hands, auxiliary hand 13 is rotated counterclockwise until it reaches the hour of 9 as shown in FIGURE 8. At this point, cam stop follower 42 will be in engagement with vertical face 41 as shown in FIGURE 9. Further counterclockwise rotation of regular hand 7 will continue as winding crown 57 is rotated but auxiliary hand 13 will remain at the indicated hour of 9 since cam stop follower 42 will prevent rotation of auxiliary member 12 thus breaking the frictional grip between the auxiliary pipe 36 and regular hour hand pipe 8 which are normally held in engagement by harp spring 38. When the regular hand 9 is turned to an hour which is one or more hours in separation from auxiliary hour hand 13 which represents the time zone difference, winding crown 57 is rotated so that all hands turn in a clockwise direction until the regular hour hand indicates the particular hour in the particular time zone. Crown gear 54 is disengaged from minute wheel 32 by merely moving stem 11 to the left as shown in FIGURE 2 which disengages the winding crown 57 from the hands and the mainspring continues to power the gear train and turn the hands in a normal manner.

Thus by simply manipulating the regular winding crown 57 the auxiliary hand 13 may be set at any selected time interval from the regular hour hand 9 thus indicating the time in any two different time zones in the world selected.

I claim:

1. In a watch movement including a frame, a regular hour hand pipe mounted for rotation and carrying a regular hour hand, and a manually engageable and displacea-ble stem operatively connected to said pipe for setting said hand comprising:

an auxiliary member mounted on said pipe in frictional engagement therewith providing normal joint rotation of said pipe and member, said frictional engagement between said member and pipe providing for forced relative angular displacement and said auxiliary member having an annular cam surface providing a cam stop follower engaging portion;

an auxiliary hour hand carried by said member, and

stop means mounted on said frame including a cam follower positioned to ride on said cam surface and restraining counterclockwise rotation of said auxiliary member upon engagement with said cam stop follower engaging portion to permit said relative angular displacement upon counterclockwise displacement of said regular hour hand pipe by said stem.

2. In a watch movement including a frame, a regular hour hand pipe mounted for rotation and carrying a regular hour hand, and a manually engageable and displaceable stem operatively connected to said pipe for setting said hand comprising:

an auxiliary member mounted on said pipe and including an auxiliary hour hand;

means mounted on said auxiliary member in frictional engagement with said pipe providing normal joint rotation of said pipe and member, said frictional engagement between said member and pipe providing for forced relative angular displacement;

said auxiliary member having an annular cam surface providing a cam stop follower engaging portion; and

stop means mounted on said frame including a cam follower positioned to ride on said cam surface and permitting clockwise rotation and restraining coun terclockwise rotation of said auxiliary member upon engagement with said cam stop follower engaging portion at a particular point to permit relative angular displacement upon counterclockwise displacement of said regular hour hand pipe past said point by said stem.

3. In a watch movement including a frame, a rotatable staff and a minute hand connected thereto, a regular hour hand pipe rotatably and coaxially mounted in relation to said staff and carrying a regular hour hand, and a rotatable stem connected to said hands for selective manual clockwise and counterclockwise setting thereof comprismg:

an auxiliary member mounted coaxially of said staff and having a radially extended flange presenting a camming surface;

a cam stop follower mounted on said frame and engaging said camming surface;

means mounted on said auxiliary member frictionally gripping said hour hand pipe for clockwise rotation therewith and permitting infinite relative rotational displacement positions between said hour hands upon counterclockwise displacement of said regular hour hand pipe; and

said camming surface being formed with a cam stop follower engaging portion so as to permit clockwise rotation of said auxiliary member and to prevent more than one complete counterclockwise revolution of said auxiliary member thus effecting angular displacement between said regular and auxiliary hour hands.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,674,085 4/1954 Israel 5885.5

FOREIGN PATENTS 677,196 8/1952 Great Britain.

RICHARD B. WILKINSON, Primary Examiner.

G. F. BAKER, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN A WATCH MOVEMENT INCLUDING A FRAME, A REGULAR HOUR HAND PIPE MOUNTED FOR ROTATION AND CARRYING A REGULAR HOUR HAND, AND A MANUALLY ENGAGABLE AND DISPLACEABLE STEM OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID PIPE FOR SETTING SAID HAND COMPRISING: AN AUXILIARY MEMBER MOUNTED ON SAID PIPE IN FRICTIONAL ENGAGEMENT THEREWITH PROVIDING NORMAL JOINT ROTATION OF SAID PIPE AND MEMBER, SAID FRICTIONAL ENGAGEMENT BETWEEN SAID MEMBER AND PIPE PROVIDING FOR FORCED RELATIVE ANGULAR DISPLACEMENT AND SAID AUXILIARY MEMBER HAVING AN ANNULAR CAM SURFACE PROVIDING A CAM STOP FOLLOWER ENGAGING PORTION; AN AUXILIARY HOUR HAND CARRIED BY SAID MEMBER, AND STOP MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID FRAME INCLUDING A CAM FOLLOWER POSITIONED TO RIDE ON SAID CAM SURFACE AND RESTRAINING COUNTERCLOCKWISE ROTATION OF SAID AUXILIARY MEMBER UPON ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID CAM STOP FOLLOWER ENGAGING PORTION TO PERMIT SAID RELATIVE ANGULAR DISPLACEMENT UPON COUNTERCLOCKWISE DISPLACEMENT OF SAID REGULAR HOUR HAND PIPE BY SAID STEM. 